Rockport to Camden for the Windjammer Festival, Part 2

   "Looks like you have a nice day for this,"  the dog walker told us, "Last time I paddled here I got thrown off my kayak out by Indian Island."  She didn't seem particularly concerned, so she must have gotten back on top readily and headed into quieter waters. 
    And we didn't probe into her accident, but spent our conversation admiring her dog and assuring the two hour parking limit didn't apply to our space. 
     Soon we were on the water.  We rounded Indian Island Lighthouse and headed north.  

Indian Island Lighthouse, an abandoned lighthouse on a privately owned island

      And sure enough, freed from the quiet harbor, Penobscot Bay waters were choppy.  Wind was from the north and the seas were interesting but not overwhelming.  There were steeper waves near the ledges to add adrenaline to our journey(watch out for rocks!), and quieter waves inside Goose Rocks to allow faster progress.
   Even before we rounded Indian Island we spotted schooners on Penobscot Bay, and once we'd rounded Deadman's Point a huge naval vessel, the 567' USS Normandy, (CG 60) came into view.  The USS Normandy was built in Maine at Bath Iron Works, and in her maiden voyage served in Desert Storm.  Since then she's been involved in many other missions to protect our country.  The USS Normandy would be our focal point through much of the paddle north.  Along the way we also saw one gray seal, dozen of guillemots and an array of seagulls.

     Camden is another beautiful harbor, a bit more crowded than Rockport. 

Heading into the maze of moorings which defines Camden Harbor

Schooners were heading out on an irregular schedule, one at a time wending their way through the narrow channel left free of moored boats.  I believe this is the Timberwind breaking free

   In the harbor, schooners were lined up along all the piers.  The three larger schooners are:  (left to right) light gray Mary Day, dark gray Lewis R French and the dark vessel is the Angelique.

Schooners, day sailers, and sailboats line up in front of Mount Battie

   Both the Appledore and this kayak group are getting ready to head out.  You'll see more of the kayak tour in our next post.

    Schooners weren't the only boats heading in and out.  Sailboats and pleasure boats headed out to enjoy the beautiful day.  The Pied Piper took passengers out to tour the Normandy.

     Kayaks bobbed about, exploring the quiet areas.  There was even a two person rowing scull.

    Once we were done exploring and watching, it was back to Rockport, stopping to admire the rock walls and sculpture at Deadman's Point along the way.

Rock Gardens at Deadman's Point

This sculpture belongs with the rock walls.

    Waves were from the northeast.  Entertaining, but not ideal for surfing.

     It's hard to say which harbor is prettier; Camden or Rockport.  I do feel like I got a calendar's worth of beautiful photos along the way.

Rockport Harbor

    As we loaded our boats we met a nice couple from North Carolina.
    "So how far did you all paddle today?"  the man asked.
    "Ten miles," Mark replied, "we went up to Camden to see the schooners."
    "Oh, we started in Camden," he offered, "But we walked here."
    "Wow, how far was that?"  I asked.
    "Two miles."

      Further evidence that the sensible thing to do if you're coming from Bangor to the Camden Windjammer Festival is to drive to Camden, find a parking space, and spend the day admiring windjammers and taking part in the many other parts of the festivities.  It's far less logical to drive through Camden to Rockport, paddle along the shore to Camden, glance at the festivities and head back.  Nevertheless we had an incredible time, primarily because the water between Rockport and Camden was so entertaining.

We offered the couple a ride back to Camden, but they wanted to explore some more, or perhaps they were leery of putting their lot in with a couple plainly lacking in common sense.

Next in the Series:  Curtis Island.

Summary:  Start Rockport Marine Park (our post on the launch), fee to launch, flush toilets, pay shower available.  Launch 8:40AM, finish 12:40PM, 10.4 miles; one long stop.  High 12:09PM.

Rockport Marine Park, Windjammer Part 1

Our first September paddle was so awesome, and generated so many photos that we need to break it up into a few posts.  We'll start with our launch site:  Rockport Marine Park.

Rockport Marine Park has flush toilets, a pay shower,  and a hose for rinsing your gear after a paddle.  There are several parking spaces, a ramp launch, a small beach, docks frequently used for fishing, picnic tables, paths and benches.  There's also a vending machine, right by the building with cold water and Gatorade.  

So, with all those features, you're probably ready to pay through the nose to launch, but before you guess the price wait!  There's so much more!

An elegant bell buoy tipped on its side!

The last surviving remnants of Rockport's Lime Industry, a triple kiln.  Once enclosed by a great wooden shed, these kilns were topped by iron stacks made of boiler plate, which would be filled with limestone.  Most kilns used wood,  burning as much as 30 cords per load.  The Rockport kilns were run with soft coal.    

Close Up of the Kiln

A replica of the Vulcan steam locomotive used to bring limestone to the kilns.  The locomotive ran along a trestle which allowed it to dump the limestone into the stacks.

A fine plaque illustrating the industry, detailing the size of the operation and the tragic event which brought it to a close!

A memorial statue to Andre the Seal!  Andre the Seal was adopted by Harry Goodridge in the 1970's.  He was known for his evening performances in Rockport Harbor as well as for swimming from his winter home at the Boston Aquarium, back to Rockport every spring.  Somehow I missed the statue (Mark may have been saying something about being here to paddle not gawk,) so I will substitute instead pictures from long ago, when I watched the actual Andre the Seal perform.  Andre is the little blob and Harry Goodridge the man in the cage.

Now what would you pay??

Unbelievably, the park is free.  Launch fees are $2 for residents, $4 for non-residents. 

More information about Rockport Marine Park:

Rockin around Rockport http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/surficial/sites/dec09.htm

Maine Coast Guide: Lime http://www.mainecoastguide.com/sidebars/lime.html

The Andre the Seal Memorial http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM7FT2_Andre_the_Seal_Rockport_ME